Little Old Habits
by 500DaysOfWriting
Summary: Nick and Jess can't seem to let go of some little old habits they had together, especially when is late and they're both tired. It doesn't happens very often, but it's also not that rare. Set anytime post season 3. Yeah, I'm terrible with titles and descriptions.


**Hi! So... 3 stories in a short period of time... I have a few stories that I wrote along the years and months being a fan of New Girl, but for some reason, just now I finally have the courage to re write and publish some of them. I couldn't be happier with the fedback I'm getting! Reviews always welcome, and please tell me if my stories start to get a little repetitive. Unfortunetly, I only have ideas for this small and simple fics, I'm not the most creative roomfriend around here... And sorry for the long note!**

 **Now about the story: Set post season 3, maybe before season 4, whatever. Enjoy! And again, sorry, but I'm terrible with titles.**

It's 2 a.m. when the door opens, and Nick comes in walking slowly and exhausted from his late night Saturday shift. He really just wanted to come home, take a shower and go to sleep without saying a word. Just falling to bed and sleep. He didn't expected anyone to be up at this late, which is why he's surprised when he sees that Schmidt is on the couch watching some old movie on television, and Jess is passed out on the other side.

"Hey Schmidty… Up this late?" He asks, his voice low not to wake Jess.

"Oh, yeah, Jess and I were trying to cure our insomnia by watching boring old movies… I guess this one did it for her…" Schmidt answers matching his tone, but interrupts himself to yawn, looking very tired, then continues "…and apparently it is doing for me too. I guess I'll go to bed."

He gets up slowly and makes a move like he's going to wake up Jess by throwing a pillow on her, but Nick quickly stops him "No! She gets angry when woken up abruptly, and it takes a while for her to sleep again when that happens. You gotta do it more calmly." He says. "Go to sleep man, I'll see if I can find anything interesting on TV and then I'll wake her up, don't worry."

"Okay man, goodnight" Schmidt answers, while grabbing a glass of water in the kitchen and then disappears into his room, closing the door behind him.

Nick carefully examines the picture in front of him: Jess seated on her legs on the corner of the couch, hands resting on a pillow on her lap, head thrown back and mouth open. He giggles to himself. She is so sweet, he thinks, and even sleeping with a funny face like that, she looks beautiful.

He sits down on the couch himself, leaving a good distance between them, careful not to wake her up, and tries to find something good to watch on TV. Truth be told, nothing pleases him as he flicks through the channels simply because he didn't want to watch any television. He just wanted to stay there because she was there too. Even if asleep…

He kept looking at her until it hit him that she'd probably wake up with her neck aching because of the position she's sleeping. He really should wake her up, or at least take her to bed. That's what he used to do when they were together, when Jess stubbornly tried to stay up watching movies and making sandwiches for him to eat when he came home from work (90% of the time she fell asleep before he came, but it was worth the intention), and then he'd always have to carry her into the room or wake her up really carefully, whispering words into her ear, kissing her forehead and her cheek, caressing her and her hair so that they could watch something together, or simply go to bed.

But this was back then, now things are different. He can't just take her to bed into his arms… But he also can't resist moving closer to her on the couch, to wake her up (almost) like he used to.

Closing the space between them, very aware that he was taking advantage of the situation (he couldn't bring himself to feel guilty about it right now though), he leans close to her face and strokes it with his fingers tenderly, ever so lightly… "Sleeping on this couch like this someone's gonna end up waking up with a neck ache tomorrow" he whispers in the softest voice he manages to make. "Not me, thanks to you, sir", she murmurs, eyes still closed, and laughs weakly.

"Hey" he says to her, still very quietly. Slowly opening her eyes, she replies him with a warm and shy smile, that one he loved (and still does) so much and that she used to show him when she was exhausted after a long day, and just before saying goodnight.

"Long day?" He asks.

"Kind of… How about you? How was work today?" She asks back.

He feels warm in his chest for having this little talk with her again. It feels so casual, so them. Like nothing ever changed, like things still remained simple, like it didn't matter what they were now… Friends, lovers, exes… They just were. Simple as that.

"Same old, same old." Nick says. A calm smile on his face. And relaxing a little more into his position, he puts an arm around her, resting on the couch.

Jess also stars to relax even more into her position, and adjusting herself, she rests her head in the space between his shoulder and his neck, tucking her hands into her chest and whispering into his skin "I'm cold. Why is it so cold here?" She says, in a sleepy voice.

He desperately wants to grab a blanket and cover her right now, or grab his hoodie on the front table and put around her, to warm her up. But this position feels so comfortable, he doesn't wanna leave it, so instead, he puts his arm fully around her, holding her tightly into his chest and planting a soft kiss at the top of her head. "Better?" He asks. But when he looks at her, her eyes are already closed again, and she seems to be enjoying this as much as him, so he just stays there, like this. Warming her a little as much as his body heat permits, and pretending to be there just because he's watching something on tv, when, actually, he has no idea what movie is that, or what it's even about. He just really wants to enjoy the simplicity of this moment, and for a while, forget the complexity of their relationship and not think about the million things this could mean.

If Schmidt or Winston saw this right now, they would definitely call Nick out on this, like they always do, so he's glad they're both sleeping.

He loves when he and Jess share little moments like this, like is still part of their routine… It doesn't happen very often, but it's also not that rare. They're both still getting used to the new dynamic between them. It's not easy to get past all those little habits they had together after such a long, amazing and unforgettable year of relationship.

Nick thinks he always knew that, someday, all of this would come to an end. Always knew that he would do or say something stupid, and let her slip through his fingers, like it was bound to happen… But part of him used to think that maybe this one, with Jess, his quirky, sweet and beautiful roommate who he loved (and still does) the most in life, could last forever.

He never stopped to think about the future with her, or to plan things. It scared him, and it wasn't part of his nature, but in his mind, his blank and unplanned future always had a little sport filled already: Jess. Wherever he'd be in a decade, however his life would've turn out, no matter what, he always thought she'd be there by his side, and maybe she will still be there, just not exactly the way he wanted.

Right now he doesn't wants to think about any of those things. He just wants to stay there next to her, hugging her and smelling her delicious scent, and just... being. And that's how he and Jess both fall asleep: as close as possible to each other, just living the moment and enjoying while it lasts. They both know this are going to be a little awkward when they wake up, it always is when they let themselves get into situations like this with each other, but Nick couldn't care less about the following morning right now, so... Nevermind.


End file.
